We visited a nine-year basic school in Tallinn. Kalamaja Põhikool is a compulsory school for grades 1 through 9 (ages 7-15). First, we were taken to the teacher’s room, where we heard an explanation of the school's system and then observed a 3rd grade math class and a 9th grade biology class.
Digitalized School Systems and Tools used for Education
The entire school system is digitalized, providing students, teachers, and parents with a visualization of the educational content and grades. The network called “Opiq'' provides access to digitalized Russian and Estonian textbooks, as well as animations and other materials used by teachers in their classes. In addition to this, “e-diary", a paid tool used in most Estonian schools is being utilized. The “e-diary” allows teachers to record and provide feedback on each subject, students to self-evaluate their own work, and students to record their daily learning, including homework assignments. The use of such a network reduces the burden on teachers and creates an environment in which it is easy for students to reflect on what they have learned. From the teacher's point of view, I was impressed that the curriculum system was well developed and that all teaching materials were downloaded to the computer so that they could be checked at any time. “Opiq '' is a pay-per-use system, with the school and students (5 euros per month) paying for the use of the content, but in fact, teachers said that many of the materials are very good and are very useful for class preparation. The ability to view the teaching materials from the students' point of view was also a big advantage, as they did not have to carry many books with them. The ability for teachers, students and parents to manage grade reports and classes would make it easier to grasp the situation and lead to higher quality education.
Estonia has an Educational Information System (EHIS) where information from schools is centrally managed and updated annually. “e-diary” platforms are connected to the EHIS, and records of “e-diary” are submitted as official education records. With this management of student information, it appears that even if a student transfers schools, the information is shared from the previous school to the new school. The digitalized school system using various networks makes it possible to visualize and share each student's information with anyone, anywhere, at a glance, thus increasing efficiency in the educational field. The digitalization also ensures transparency of educational content, such as what children are learning at school, and I believe that this leads to the trust of parents in the school. However, we did not know how much the digitalization of the school system actually contributed to teachers' understanding of students, students' own learning, and cooperation between teachers and parents.
What We Learned from Observing 3rd and 9th Grade Classes
3rd grade math class was conducted using ”Kahoot”, which is the app to play quiz‐based games at school, on iPads that were handed out to each student. Classes proceeded smoothly within a system in which targets for the whole class and individual rankings were assigned. We could not help but hide our excitement at seeing a 3rd grade classroom that embodied ICT functioning as a tool both for teaching and learning. I felt the aggressiveness of students from the math class in elementary school. It was impressive to see the many students raising their hands and enjoying the classes. It was a pop quiz game system by using the internet to learn multiplication and it motivates the class by having the sense of accomplishment. After the game, the screen showed the ranking who achieved the most and who improved the most. It showed the ranking should be not only the one ranking method. Who have low scores on the ranking tend to have low self-esteem but I feel multiple ways of ranking will show the students their own value. Also Japanese people have the idea that multiplication is memorizing points but in the class we saw explained the idea of a way to calculate the multiplication. I thought the class emphasized the importance of the process of finding answers.
The educational content was diverse, including not only the use of ICT but also writing on paper and using the body during class. Homework was done on paper and the results of experiments were written on paper too, so I am also interested in the demand for paper-based learning.
However, there were clear individual differences in the students' understanding of the class content, and it took time to set up the system before the class began. Therefore, it was not clear whether ICT contributed to the students' understanding. The use of ICT seemed to standardize teaching methods and keep the quality of teachers and classes constant, but I felt that this did not allow each teacher's individuality to shine through in the classes. Looking back on my own experience at the elementary school, there was no use of ICT, and the teaching methods varied from class to class, so there may have been some variation in the quality of the teachers. However, I believe that the teachers' unique style of explanation and expression made the lessons more memorable and led to a greater understanding of the content.
And, we were concerned that two students from Ukraine were left out of the class. We got the impression that they were cut off from the class because they did not understand Estonian very well. This situation may affect the future of education in Estonia in some ways. They are seated in the last row of the classroom, and at first glance, it seems as if they are inaccessible to the teachers. From another perspective, however, it could be seen as a sign of the teachers' recognition that everyone is included, no matter where they are in the classroom, because the same learning tools are given to everyone. But, they did not understand all of the content of the lessons. In the 9th grade experiments the equipment was handled in a self-directed style and the teacher did not keep track of all of the progress. I got the impression that it is ultimately up to the individual's willingness to study to make the best use of the tools and apply them to their studies.
Colorful Classrooms
There is a lot more nature in the classrooms and gymnasiums than in Japan. There were large plants in the gymnasium and plants on locker shelves in classrooms. In addition, the walls of the classrooms had posters about bullying and artwork by the students, which gave a bright impression throughout the classrooms. The students found that they were learning in a very open space because of this. We felt that the presence of greenery and the stylish atmosphere had the effect of increasing children's creativity and positivity.
